Double Rainbow
Angeles National Forest, California
Double Rainbow over San Gabriel Mountains, Angeles National Forest, California
A double rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon where two concentric arcs of colors appear in the sky, caused by the reflection, refraction, and dispersion of light in water droplets. The primary rainbow forms when sunlight enters a raindrop, reflects off the inside surface, and exits, bending at different angles for each color. A secondary rainbow, which is fainter and has reversed colors, forms from two internal reflections of sunlight within the raindrop. This results in the second arc appearing outside the primary rainbow with its colors inverted.
Year Photographed: 2011